The Volta River Authority (VRA) has embarked on a number of renewable projects to meet the national demand on the back of its duty to ensure that there is adequate, competitively priced electricity.
These additions are the 60 megawatts Pwalugu multipurpose dam project, which has an additional solar component of 50 megawatts.
Also, the VRA is constructing a 17 megawatts Kaleo/Lawra solar plant, while its wind projects at Ada and Anloga are under development.
The VRA says it would also continue to nurse other potential renewable projects on the Oti River, as well as a pipeline of solar projects at Bongo, Walewale and other places.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the VRA, Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa, made these known in Accra yesterday, at an event to launch the 60 years anniversary celebration of the Authority.
Touching further on measures being put in place to ensure reliable electricity generation, the CEO cited the commissioning of the Kpong Generating Station Retrofit Project in Akuse, which the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, commissioned last Monday.
“We are confident that the Kpong station can now reliably deliver 30 more years of clean energy,” said Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa, VRA CEO.
Narrowing his address to the barely six decades of the VRA, Antwi-Darkwa noted that 60 years in the life of an organisation is no mean achievement, and seized the opportunity to congratulate, in advance, the entire VRA fraternity.
He, however, recounted that over the years, VRA, like other utilities, has been faced with challenges, mainly driven by difficulties in the energy sector.
“Nevertheless, we have remained resilient and maintained our market leadership. VRA Beyond Aid by the Government of Ghana has necessitated prudent management practices, including the introduction of our financial recovery plan in 2017. This has resulted in the consistent improvement of our year-to-year financial position. Though we are not totally out of the woods yet, we can say we are in a better place today. Our overall aim is to develop VRA into a public institution which operates with a private sector mindset,” the CEO stated.
The Chairman of the VRA Board, Kweku Andoh Awotwi, who was Chairman for the occasion, in his welcome address, said that with the launch of the 60th anniversary, he believed that the VRA had accomplished a great deal in the last 60 years.
It was his hope that the organisation would be around for the next 60 years to play the vital role it has in the country’s national development.
The anniversary is on the theme; “60 years in the power business; our legacy, our future.” This, the Chairman explained, spoke to both the past as well as the future.
The Diamond Jubilee, whose celebration launch witnessed the outdooring of anniversary cloth, logo, and anthem, is slated for April 26, 2021.
As part of the anniversary, some activities have been tabled.
There would be VRA power drones, which will donate medical supplies to selected communities.
Also, the VRA intends to name its new ultra-modern complex, and has thus asked its employees to compete to provide a catchy name to be used.
Further, there would be a sponsorship package for 60 needy youth in the catchment communities to learn a trade through a structured apprenticeship programmes among other activities.
On behalf of the Energy Minister, John Peter Amewu, a deputy Energy Minister, Joseph Cudjoe, read that the government’s One District One Factory policy cannot work without reliable power supply. As such, he commended VRA for many of its achievements over the years.
He urged staff of the VRA that going into the future they should avoid complacency and promote hard work, stating that it was imperative to look into the past to learn from it.
In his address to declare the anniversary duly launched, the Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, earnestly lauded the efforts of the Board, under the chairmanship of Kweku Andoh Awotwi, the CEO, Ing. Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa, and the management and staff of the VRA “for the transformational strategies that have ushered VRA into a new age of resilience, diversification, sustainability and growth, which have enhanced the reliability of power supply in the country.”
He continued: “It is my duty to also appreciate our traditional rulers in the various localities where VRA operates across the country for co-existing peacefully with the Authority for the last 60 years, and I have no doubt that this co-operation will continue to exist for the good of our nation, Ghana, and its people. Today, I encourage employees of the Authority to continue to develop their skills and grow their experiences to support the power sector initiatives, as well as strengthen the VRA brand for the next sixty years and beyond.”
The post VRA lists additional megawatts; as it launches 60yrs anniversary appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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